Young standout battles adversity, excels at USBC Masters and Bowlers Journal
March 05, 2017
LAS VEGAS - An energized Matthew O'Grady of South Amboy, New Jersey, walked into the South Point Bowling Center last Sunday morning hoping for a shot at redemption at the 2017 Bowlers Journal Championships presented by the United States Bowling Congress.
The 30-year-old right-hander had bowled one previous squad, where it was late at night and his execution was poor, and that was reflected in his score.
Redemption had to wait, however, as he was the only early-riser in the center for the 9 a.m. squad.
He'd get his chance two hours later and took full advantage, rolling games of 257, 255 and 258 for a 770 series, the highest singles set at the event since 2014. He beat his previous effort by 91 pins and passed previous leader, Steve Pavlinko of Sewell, New Jersey, who shot 750 two days earlier.
The event is being held alongside the 2017 USBC Open Championships, which will run until mid-July at the nearby South Point Bowling Plaza. O'Grady still isn't sure if he'll make it back for the Open Championships, but he's glad to have left his mark at the Bowlers Journal Championships and now is the player to beat in Open Singles.
O'Grady's participation in the Bowlers Journal Championships almost didn't happen, due in part to a physically and mentally challenging week down the road at the 2017 USBC Masters, where he bowled nearly 30 games over four days at The Orleans Bowling Center.
Instead of preparing for the second day of qualifying at the Masters, O'Grady was up early writing an email to tournament manager Damon Sarrocco.
O'Grady was one of a handful of Masters competitors steamrolled by a stomach bug, and the combination of his disappointing first day on the lanes and being sick all night, had him seconds away from withdrawing from the tournament, before his wife, Joely, provided some tough love.
"I was sick during the initial qualifying round but gutted it out, even though I was throwing up during the block and all night after," O'Grady said. "I woke up for the 8 a.m. squad on the second day, and I was ready to quit. My wife wouldn't let me, though. She said, 'You're not a quitter. Now get in the shower.' So, I did."
After the first of three days of qualifying, O'Grady was in 279th place and a long way from a spot in the 64-player double-elimination match-play bracket.
He arrived at The Orleans Bowling Center for the second day of qualifying with little food in his stomach, minimal energy and nothing to lose. Being weak and slow actually worked to his advantage, as he started the day with a 246 game and never looked back.
"For some reason, my brain wasn't overthinking, and my swing was a lot shorter, which helped me bowl 240 and get back to plus," said O'Grady, a three-time member of Junior Team USA. "I made a key ball change, but I was still slow and without energy. That allowed me to slow hook it, which definitely isn't my A-game, but worked."
O'Grady moved up more than 100 spots, ending the second day in 76th place, and turned in another strong performance on Day 3 to secure the No. 52 seed for match play.
He posted a 2-2 match-play record and finished tied for 25th place, and the things he learned about himself during the week were as valuable as the prize money he took home. He also had to give his wife some of the credit.
"She was obviously happy with me, since my tournament didn't turn out to be a bust, and she was very proud of herself for doing her job," O'Grady said. "Sometimes, you just have to deal with the adversity. During a format like that, there are so many ups and downs, and it's easy to mail it in when you're down or get too far ahead of yourself when you're up."
The Masters was just a small part of a month on the road for O'Grady, whose trip began Feb. 2 and included stops at the Paragon Open in Michigan, Barbasol Professional Bowlers Association Players Championship in Columbus, Ohio, and the FireLake PBA Tournament of Champions in Shawnee, Oklahoma, before heading to Las Vegas for the Masters and then on to Denver for a PBA regional event.
Joely only joined him for 12 days of the journey, making the trip with him from Oklahoma to Las Vegas and partway to Denver, but her timing couldn't have been better.
By the time O'Grady returns to New Jersey, he estimates the odometer on the car will read close to 8,500 miles, but the journey is part of a dream coming true.
"It really is a dream I had to be able to do this for a living," O'Grady said. "I'm seeing so many new places. Bowling has allowed me to see America and the world, and it's very special. Even just driving through the mountains is memorable. The scenery is incredible, and I'm very grateful."
O'Grady now must wait until July 16 to see if his score at the Bowlers Journal is enough to hold on for the win. Until then, more than 50,000 bowlers will head to Las Vegas for Open Championships and have a chance to knock off his score at the Bowlers Journal.
Leaders at the 2017 Bowlers Journal Championships:
Open Singles
1, Matthew O'Grady, South Amboy, N.J., 770
Senior Singles
1, David Scardaville, Houston, 716
Super Senior Singles
1, Ed Roberts, Braintree, Mass., 630
209 & Under Singles
1, John Schwarzwalter, Scranton, N.D., 624
Open Doubles
1, Francois Louw, Johannesburg, South Africa/Steven Badovinac, Monument, Colo., 1,357
Senior Doubles
1, Gus Yannaras, Waukesha, Wis./Dale Traber, Cedarburg, Wis., 1,209
Handicap Doubles
1, Kyle Glynn, Ellendale, N.D./Eric Wise, Moberly, Mo., 1,298
Dual Entry
T1, Francois Louw, Johannesburg, South Africa, 726
T1, Thomas Larsen, Assens, Denmark, 726
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open Championships Facebook page.
The 30-year-old right-hander had bowled one previous squad, where it was late at night and his execution was poor, and that was reflected in his score.
Redemption had to wait, however, as he was the only early-riser in the center for the 9 a.m. squad.
He'd get his chance two hours later and took full advantage, rolling games of 257, 255 and 258 for a 770 series, the highest singles set at the event since 2014. He beat his previous effort by 91 pins and passed previous leader, Steve Pavlinko of Sewell, New Jersey, who shot 750 two days earlier.
The event is being held alongside the 2017 USBC Open Championships, which will run until mid-July at the nearby South Point Bowling Plaza. O'Grady still isn't sure if he'll make it back for the Open Championships, but he's glad to have left his mark at the Bowlers Journal Championships and now is the player to beat in Open Singles.
O'Grady's participation in the Bowlers Journal Championships almost didn't happen, due in part to a physically and mentally challenging week down the road at the 2017 USBC Masters, where he bowled nearly 30 games over four days at The Orleans Bowling Center.
Instead of preparing for the second day of qualifying at the Masters, O'Grady was up early writing an email to tournament manager Damon Sarrocco.
O'Grady was one of a handful of Masters competitors steamrolled by a stomach bug, and the combination of his disappointing first day on the lanes and being sick all night, had him seconds away from withdrawing from the tournament, before his wife, Joely, provided some tough love.
"I was sick during the initial qualifying round but gutted it out, even though I was throwing up during the block and all night after," O'Grady said. "I woke up for the 8 a.m. squad on the second day, and I was ready to quit. My wife wouldn't let me, though. She said, 'You're not a quitter. Now get in the shower.' So, I did."
After the first of three days of qualifying, O'Grady was in 279th place and a long way from a spot in the 64-player double-elimination match-play bracket.
He arrived at The Orleans Bowling Center for the second day of qualifying with little food in his stomach, minimal energy and nothing to lose. Being weak and slow actually worked to his advantage, as he started the day with a 246 game and never looked back.
"For some reason, my brain wasn't overthinking, and my swing was a lot shorter, which helped me bowl 240 and get back to plus," said O'Grady, a three-time member of Junior Team USA. "I made a key ball change, but I was still slow and without energy. That allowed me to slow hook it, which definitely isn't my A-game, but worked."
O'Grady moved up more than 100 spots, ending the second day in 76th place, and turned in another strong performance on Day 3 to secure the No. 52 seed for match play. He posted a 2-2 match-play record and finished tied for 25th place, and the things he learned about himself during the week were as valuable as the prize money he took home. He also had to give his wife some of the credit.
"She was obviously happy with me, since my tournament didn't turn out to be a bust, and she was very proud of herself for doing her job," O'Grady said. "Sometimes, you just have to deal with the adversity. During a format like that, there are so many ups and downs, and it's easy to mail it in when you're down or get too far ahead of yourself when you're up."
The Masters was just a small part of a month on the road for O'Grady, whose trip began Feb. 2 and included stops at the Paragon Open in Michigan, Barbasol Professional Bowlers Association Players Championship in Columbus, Ohio, and the FireLake PBA Tournament of Champions in Shawnee, Oklahoma, before heading to Las Vegas for the Masters and then on to Denver for a PBA regional event.
Joely only joined him for 12 days of the journey, making the trip with him from Oklahoma to Las Vegas and partway to Denver, but her timing couldn't have been better.
By the time O'Grady returns to New Jersey, he estimates the odometer on the car will read close to 8,500 miles, but the journey is part of a dream coming true.
"It really is a dream I had to be able to do this for a living," O'Grady said. "I'm seeing so many new places. Bowling has allowed me to see America and the world, and it's very special. Even just driving through the mountains is memorable. The scenery is incredible, and I'm very grateful."
O'Grady now must wait until July 16 to see if his score at the Bowlers Journal is enough to hold on for the win. Until then, more than 50,000 bowlers will head to Las Vegas for Open Championships and have a chance to knock off his score at the Bowlers Journal.
Leaders at the 2017 Bowlers Journal Championships:
Open Singles
1, Matthew O'Grady, South Amboy, N.J., 770
Senior Singles
1, David Scardaville, Houston, 716
Super Senior Singles
1, Ed Roberts, Braintree, Mass., 630
209 & Under Singles
1, John Schwarzwalter, Scranton, N.D., 624
Open Doubles
1, Francois Louw, Johannesburg, South Africa/Steven Badovinac, Monument, Colo., 1,357
Senior Doubles
1, Gus Yannaras, Waukesha, Wis./Dale Traber, Cedarburg, Wis., 1,209
Handicap Doubles
1, Kyle Glynn, Ellendale, N.D./Eric Wise, Moberly, Mo., 1,298
Dual Entry
T1, Francois Louw, Johannesburg, South Africa, 726
T1, Thomas Larsen, Assens, Denmark, 726
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open Championships Facebook page.